


Gwen Forever

by TheWholesomeHobo



Category: Twelve Forever (Cartoon)
Genre: Gen, Mystery, Plot Advancement, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-10-25
Packaged: 2020-11-23 21:36:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,775
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20896475
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWholesomeHobo/pseuds/TheWholesomeHobo
Summary: Todd has decided to finally bring Gwen to Endless. But rather than doing it right away, he makes her wait till the weekend, building up the hype as the week goes by.





	1. Gwen Forever Part 1

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to finally do a story with some heavy lore elements to it, rather than just filler like I usually do. Hopefully it comes off well and is enjoyable.

Reggie, Todd, and Esther walked down a path bathed in the ever shining sun of Endless. Each one of them was holding a small bundle of Tasty Troy balloons.

“Man, who knew Colin could throw such an awesome party?” Todd looked back at the bright yellow barn behind them. Multi colored lights were flashing from inside the door and Colin stood just outside, waving them off with a lampshade on his head.

“Yeah, and those hors d’oeuvres were just divine!” Esther licked her top lip as she swooned.

“I guess you just don’t really know a guy all that well till you spend six hours in a barn with him.” Reggie offered her words of wisdom as though they were a common fact.

Esther stopped walking. “You guys ready?” 

Todd and Reggie stopped on either side of her. “I was born ready!” Reggie was brimming with excitement for this part.

Todd put on a serious face. “Yeah let’s do this!” With that, the three of them let go of their balloons. They drifted up together, spiraling about each other before hitting a cloud above, exploding into a shower of fireworks and confetti. 

Reggie let out a contented little sigh. “This weekend was the best.”

“Well next weekend is gonna be even better.” Todd raised his eyebrows as he said it.

“How could it possibly be any better than this?” Reggie motioned both arms upward to the continuing shower of color and lights.

Todd looked up at the show with a smile. “Because next weekend is gonna be the one. I’m finally gonna bring Gwen to Endless.” 

Reggie let out a low grumble as they continued to walk.

“Reggiee, you said yourself that Todd could bring Gwen to Endless. Remember?” Esther’s voice was stern.

“I know, I know. It’s just gonna be weird.” She kicked at a small rock and sent it hurtling over the horizon.

Todd placed a reassuring hand on Reggie’s shoulder. “Trust me, having Gwen here is gonna be awesome.” 

“Why not just bring her here tomorrow then? I mean, why wait?” Esther had no patience as usual when it came to any hint of romance.

“Well for one thing, we’ll have more time on the weekend. I mean, we could spend all day just showing her around the island. That alone would be the time of her life. But there’s also just so much stuff to actually do and I wanna make sure we have time for it all.” Todd quickly pointed out.

“Hey yeah! And we can take her through the obstacle courses.” Reggie was getting exited now, she rubbed her hands together with a mischievous grin across her face.

“Oooor, maybe we could hold off on that one for a bit. If you recall, my first trip to the obstacle course wasn’t exactly a fun walk in the park.” Esther looked down at her feet, embarrassed at the memory.

Dejectedly Reggie agreed. “Yeah, that’s a fair point.”

Esther switched to a more reassuring tone. “Don’t worry Reggie, there’s still plenty of fun stuff we can do on Gwen’s first trip here.”

“Yeah, I’m gonna spend the whole week hyping it up to her. She’s gonna be beyond pumped to see this place. I better get home so I can start planning it all out. I gotta figure out a way for her to meet everyone without them swarming her and freaking her out. Catch you guys later!” Todd raised his key and whirled off in the green vortex.

“Ooooh this is so exciting! Don’t you think so Reggie?” Esther’s eyes sparkled as she overflowed with anticipation. “To be able to share something as special as Endless with someone you love must be so thrilling. I mean, it’s literally a magical moment!”

Reggie shuffled about, not exactly enamored by such romantic notions. “Yeah, I guess so. But she better not go telling everyone about this place.” 

“Todd trusts her so I do too. She’s not gonna betray us or anything like that.” 

“I know I know. She’s cool and all. I just don’t wanna see anything bad happen to Endless ever again.” Reggie looked off into the distance were several broken trees still lay on their side.

“It’s gonna be fine Reggie. You’ll see.” With those poignant parting words, Esther took up her flute and whistled herself away.

Reggie looked up as she went. “I guess we will.” She held her own key aloft and was whisked off to home.

For Todd, the week would go by in smattering of ever more excited conversations with Gwen. He waited for her outside of the school on Monday morning. Eventually he saw her coming down the sidewalk. “Hey Gwen!” Todd’s voice was more than chipper as he waved to her from afar.

“Hey you!” She planted a little kiss on his cheek causing him to fade in and out of crimson for a moment as several students walking into the building looked on with grins and snickers. “Someone’s in a good mood this morning. What’s up?”

“Not much. I just had a good weekend is all. And now I get to see you.” 

“Aww how sweet. I’m happy to see you too. Walk me to class?” She took him by the hand and began walking into the school with him. “So what made this weekend so great?”

“It was just a fun weekend is all.”

“Hard to imagine how it could be fun seeing as I wasn’t there.” She teasingly gave him a half smile half scowl.

“Well you’re gonna be there next weekend so it’s gonna be ten times more amazing.” He smiled to himself at how coolly he said it.

Gwen’s interest was peaked now. “Oh am I now? You got something special planned?”

“You could say that. The bell’s about to ring though. I’ll tell you about it at lunch ok?”

Gwen pouted with a smile. “Alright then. I’m sure it’ll be worth the wait.” 

“Great!” He kissed her right cheek before running off to his first class. “I’ll see ya then!”

“Later!” She called after him.

Lunchtime arrived quickly that day. Gwen found Todd sitting with Reggie and Esther at a table in the far corner of the cafeteria near the windows. She placed her tray next to Todd’s as she sat down. “Hey guys.”

“Hey.” Reggie only looked up briefly, distracted by the tater tot regiment she was lining up.

“Hi Gwen!” Esther’s greeting was a little more enthusiastic.

Gwen turned to face Todd. “So, tell me all about this amazing weekend you have planned.” 

“Oh right!” He quickly shared a look with Reggie and Esther. “So, we were talking this weekend. And we decided that we wanna share something really special with you.” 

“What is it?”

“Well it’s not really a thing exactly.. it’s a place.” 

Gwen corrected her question. “Ok then, where is it?”

“That part is a surprise. But when you see it, it’s gonna totally blow your mind.” Todd mimicked his head exploding with this hands.

Gwen chucked at him. “Can I at least have a little hint?” She fluttered her eyelashes at Todd.

Reggie was the one to interject. “Oh oh! I have one.” She paused for effect before waving her hand in a slow arch above her head “It’s toootally maaagical!” She covered her mouth with her hands as she snickered at her own terrible joke hint.

“Magical huh? Oh! Is it the renaissance fair? I love that place so much.”

“No, that doesn’t come to town till next month.” Esther was quick to point out.

“Right. Hmmm, I just need to think of the right questions to pry it out of you.” 

“You can ask all the questions you want. But you’ll never figure it out in a million years. And we’re not gonna tell you.” Todd crossed his arms as if standing his ground.

“I’m gonna guess it eventually. You know you can’t keep secrets from me.” 

“Trust me Gwen. All you need to know is that it’s just a really awesome, super secret hangout spot that only we know about. And we want to share it with you. I want to share it with you.” Todd placed his hand atop Gwen’s while Esther tried to keep from exploding at such a romantic line.

The next day between classes Gwen asked more questions in hopes of deducing where Todd and his friends were taking her on Saturday. “So this super secret hangout of yours, is is close by or far away?” 

Todd scratched at the back of his neck for a moment in thought. “Uuhhhh, I’m not sure actually. Esther?”

She put a finger to her chin. “I guess I never really thought about it as being near or far.. Maybe it’s a bit of both?” Esther shrugged at her own confusing answer.

“Well that doesn’t really make sense. Or help me figure out where we’re going.” 

“Well you’re not supposed to figure it out. It’s a surprise remember?” Todd pointed an accusatory finger at her.

“Well I know that I’ve always thought of it as being right here.” Gwen saw Reggie place her hand on her heart. But Todd and Esther saw her place her hand over her key.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Gwen spoke again. “Well can you at least tell me how we’re gonna get there? Like, do I need a ride or can we just walk?”

“Well, I was thinking we’d all meet at my house and then just go from there.” 

“So walking then?” Gwen raised an eyebrow.

Esther chimed in next. “You won’t need a ride.”

“Ok then.” Gwen perked up a bit, glad to finally be getting some answers. “Does it take long to get there?” 

Before Reggie or Esther could answer Todd butted in.“Don’t worry about that. I will tell you this though, getting there is probably going to be the most amazing trip of your life. It never gets old.” He, Reggie, and Esther shared a knowing smile.

Wednesday was dark and gloomy, Reggie and her friends watched the heavy rain pound away at her bedroom windows. 

Reggie held her head low. “Man, I hate the rain. It’s so boring being all cooped up inside.” 

“I thought you liked being inside though? Like don’t you do a lot of drawing and stuff?” Gwen motioned to all the pictures adorning the walls.

“I do, but when it’s all rainy like this, it’s like I just wanna get outside. You know what I mean?”

“I get what you mean Reggie. Sometimes when I’m at the library I’ll look out the window and wish I were out there running around and having fun instead of studying. But then other times when I’m out having fun I’ll think of something that makes me wish I were at the library so I could look into it more.”

Gwen turned to Todd. “I think it’s supposed to rain like this for the rest of the week. Is that gonna ruin our plans?”

“Nope. Even if there was a blizzard outside it’d be fine. It’s the perfect place to go for a rainy day actually.” Todd leaned back coolly against the side of the bed.

Gwen raised an eyebrow. “So it’s indoors then?” 

His eyes gazed upwards in thought. “No, not really. I guess there are some indoor parts though.”

“But what about the rain? Won’t we get soaked?”

Todd leaned in towards Gwen, his eyes wide. “Where we’re going, it never rains.”

“Well except that one time.” Reggie quickly added with a finger pointed at Todd. “But I fixed that quick enough.” She crossed her arms proudly.

“So, let me see if I have this straight. You’re taking me someplace that’s outdoors, but even if it’s raining we won’t get wet?”

Todd leaned back again, hands on the back of his head. “Exactly.” 

Gwen sighed with a slight smile. “You’re one tough nut to crack Todd Rivera, but I’ll get it eventually. Just you wait.” Gwen glanced downward and saw something just under Reggie’s bed. She pulled out the box and held it up. “What’s this?”

Reggie quickly took it from her. “Oh this, it’s just this cool board game we play sometimes. It’s got castles, and dragons, and treasure, and you just make the adventure up as you go along. Every time you play it’s totally different. It’s awesome!”

“Sounds cool. Can we play it now?”

“No.. not right now. It takes a long time to play and it’s already getting late. You need like the whole day just to get through part of it.” 

“Maybe another time then?”

“Oh definitely! We could always use another teammate. Right Todd?” Reggie flashed him a smile.

Thursday was much the same as the day before. It was bleak and dreary and a light drizzle made the walk Reggie’s house more of an annoyance than usual. Todd, Esther, and Gwen trudged along while Reggie occasionally splashed about in the puddles on the side of the road.

“Cannonball!” She jumped off the curb and landed in the two inch deep water, soaking everything below her knees.

Esther held her back by her shoulders before she could jump into the next one, a worried look in her eyes.“Reggie, you’re gonna ruin your shoes if you keep doing that.” 

“These old shoes have seen plenty of puddle action Esther. They can handle it. Plus they always dry out eventually. Woooo!” She broke free of Esther’s grip and landed in another puddle. It was shallower than the last, but still satisfying.

“Speaking of shoes, should I wear anything special for this weekend? Like a nice outfit, or special shoes, or something like that?”

Todd wasn’t totally paying attention as they walked along. His eyes were closed and his hands were on the back of his head as he nodded along to a song only he could hear. He blurted out an answer without thinking. “No, you’ll get your outfit when we get there.” 

Gwen stopped him in his tracks.“Excuse me? What do you mean I’ll get my outfit when we get there? What outfit?” Gwen’s brow was furled heavily in confusion.

Todd’s face contorted when he realized what he had said. “Well.. you see.. uhm..”

“Did you buy me something to wear for whatever this is? I’ve seen your taste in music and I can’t imagine you’d be any better at picking girls clothing.” Gwen laughed at her own joke.

“No no, I didn’t get you anything like that. It’s just that.. hmmm” Todd grumbled trying to find the best explanation. 

Reggie and her wet shoes squish squashed up to Gwen and placed an arm around her shoulders. “It just comes with the territory.” She gave Gwen her cheesiest smile as she ushered her to keep walking.

“Well, can you at least tell me what it looks like?”

“Nope! You’re asking too many questions girl. Just go with it. Embrace the mystery.” Reggie wiggled her fingers in the air with squinted eyes.

While they talked, Todd fell back a bit to whisper to Esther. “Hey Esther, I was just wondering something..”

“What is it?” Her own voice fell hushed to match Todd’s.

“Well, I was thinking.. what if Gwen doesn’t get an outfit?”

One of her eyebrows shot up in confusion. “Why wouldn't she get an outfit?”

“Remember that Elmer kid we met? The one who was from Bethune?”

Esther shuddered as she looked off into the distance. “How could I ever forget..”

“Well, he didn’t seem to have an outfit like we all do. He was just in the same clothes from that picture he had. Maybe not everyone gets something special to wear.”

“Hmmm.. I guess he didn’t have one.. But I’m sure there’s a logical explanation for it. Either way, Gwen’s still gonna love Endless.”

“Yeah, I’m sure she will. I guess I’m just getting a bit nervous. I don’t want her to feel left out or anything, y’know?” 

“It’ll be fine Todd, don’t worry. Think of it like this, if she doesn’t get one, then she could change her clothes every time she visits instead of wearing the same thing all the time like we do. She’ll be unique!”

Todd thought on that point for a brief moment. “You know what, you’re right. That’s a great way to look at it. Thanks Esther.”

Gwen called to them from up ahead. “What’re you guys whispering about back there? You’re falling behind!”

“We’re coming!” He and Esther jogged to catch up with Gwen and Reggie.

Friday at lunch Gwen plopped her lunch tray down a little harder than she intended and sat down without a word.

Esther put a hand on her shoulder. “Everything alright Gwen?”

“Everything’s fine Esther. I just figured out where you’re taking me is all.” She began to eat while putting on her smuggest smile possible as the trio let out a simultaneous gasp.

Todd laughed a little at such an incredulous statement “What? There’s no way you figured it out. You’re bluffing.”

“Oh but I did figure it out Todd.” She put her forearm on the table and leaned in, face serious and stone-like. “After yesterday all the pieces finally fell into place. It’s a place that’s far away but not far away, it has to wait till the weekend so we’ll have time for it, it never rains there, I get a special outfit, it’s all so obvious now.” 

Reggie, Todd, and Esther’s faces scrunched in confusion and worry. Todd broke the silence. “I-It is? How could you possibly figure it out from any of that? Reggie must have given it away with one of her lame joke answers.”

“First of all, my jokes aren’t lame. And second you know that I’d never give it away.” It was Reggie’s turn to stifle her anger.

Esther broke in as a voice of reason. “Yeah Todd, there’s no way she could ever actually guess it. Let’s just calm down.”

Gwen leaned back in her chair, her eyes closed and a proud smile on her face. “That’s where you’re wrong Esther. I know all about your secret magical hangout now. We’re just gonna play that adventure board game that was under Reggie’s bed.” 

Several sighs made their way around the table. Todd laughed loudly as he slapped his hand down on the table. “Oh man, you had me going there for a second. I thought you’d actually figured it out somehow.”

“You mean that’s not it?” Gwen looked almost hurt.

“Not by a long shot.” He waved his hand through the air dismissively. 

Reggie pouted at Todd. “Told you I didn’t give it away.”

Gwen’s eyes darted about in confusion. “B-But it has to be. Nothing else makes any sense. And that weird game fits with everything you told me!”

“If there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that no matter how well a theory may fit, you can still be totally wrong about it.” Esther pointed out.

“Yeah Gwen, you couldn’t be farther off if you wanted to.”

“Ugh! Can’t you just tell me already?” 

Todd took her by the hand. “You’re just gonna have to be patient until tomorrow.”

The momentous Saturday morning finally arrived. Reggie and Esther came to Todd’s house a little before Gwen was supposed to arrive.

Reggie was the first through the door. She gave him a quick “Hey man!” before jumping onto the couch and landing in a lounge position.

Esther came through the door more politely. “Hi Todd. Are you as excited for today as I am??”

“Yeah I guess I’m pretty excited. A little nervous too.” Todd admitted as he shuffled a little.

“Oh I don’t doubt that. I’d be freaking out if I were in your shoes.” Esther said it almost nonchalantly,

“Why would he freak out? Today’s gonna be rad!”

“It is, for sure. But it’s also such a special moment for Todd, and Gwen, and both of you together.” Esther emphasized the last part. “Sharing something like this is a huuuuge step up in your relationship!” She was practically vibrating with giddiness.

“I just never really thought of it like that.. I guess it is kind of a big deal huh. What if she thinks Endless is like, super weird? Or freaks out and gets hurt somehow? Oh man she’ll never forgive me.” Todd was pulling at his hair more and more as his panic grew.

Reggie put and arm around his shoulders. “Relax man. We’re gonna be right there with you. Nothing’s gonna go wrong so long as the Regster is there.” She pointed a thumb at herself.

Todd and Esther both raised an eyebrow. “Riiight..” Todd took a deep breath. “Ok. It’ll be fine. No worries. Gwen’s gonna be here soon anyway so there’s no use panicking now anyway.”

Esther decided to change the subject a bit. “So how did you manage to get your sisters out of the house?”

“Oh that was easy. I just convinced my dad to take them for ice cream. It was my treat but it’s worth it for this.” 

“Awwww! That is such a sweet gesture!” Esther’s eyes were starting to get misty.

Reggie cringed at the sight.“Alright alright, no need to get all mushy Esther.” 

“It’s just so beautiful! I can’t help it!” 

The doorbell rang and Todd ran to answer it. “That’s gotta be her now!” He opened the door for her and made the split decision to kiss her first as she entered. Behind Todd, Reggie looked away awkwardly while Esther clasped her hands together with a smile.

Gwen was taken aback a bit but smiled at his initiative. “Well hello to you too Mr. Romantic.”

“I’m just so excited you’re finally here. Today is gonna be such an amazing day.”

“I should think so the way you’ve all been stringing me along this week. When are we heading out? I brought some stuff in my backpack for the trip. Some snacks, umbrella, change of shoes. You know, just in case.”

“We’re gonna go in just a minute actually. But you can leave that bag here for now. You’re not gonna wanna bring it with us.” He motioned for her to turn so he could take her bag.

“Why not?” She asked in confusion as Todd put the bag off to the side.

“You’ll see. You guys ready?”

“You know it!” Reggie pumped her fists up and down.

“Yeah let’s go! I can’t wait to see your reaction Gwen.”

“Aright, Gwen close your eyes. And everyone join hands.” Todd motioned for them to circle up.

Gwen complied with the request but laughed a little. “What is this, some kind of weird ritual? You guys gonna sacrifice me or something?”

Esther took hold of Reggie’s hand in her right and Gwen in her left. Gwen took Todd’s right hand. Reggie and Todd each pulled out their keys. 

“Care to do the honors Reggie?”

She closed her eyes and began the chant as the keys started to float. 

“With this key, create a door  
to take us to your righteous shores.  
Give us fun when there was none  
and make reality undone.  
To the edges of infinity,  
Endless Island, set us free!”

“Wha-” was all the wide eyed Gwen could say before the swirl of pink engulfed all four of them and tore them from their own reality and into the next one.

On the Endless Island landing pad, Reggie was the first to arrive. She was quickly followed by Todd, then Esther. They looked up in unison to watch as a lavender swirl fell to the pad. It parted as Gwen stood up. Her ponytails were drawn out into long thin strands which extended down almost to her knees and adorned with verdant braided ribbons at the tips. She wore a jumpsuit of matching forest green with light gray accents along the edges. There were two matching stripes to one side of her torso, bent at an angle up to her neckline. Her gloves looked thick with padding in the knuckles. And she wore rugged boots that reached just above her ankles and made it seem she were ready to trek across any landscape. She slowly walked forward, eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar, and stepped off the platform onto the soft sands of the beach. She took a few steps more and gazed silently into the heart of the magnificent island before her.

Todd finally spoke after taking in the sight of her. He motioned both arms outward towards the island, smiling ear to ear. “Well Gwen, this.. is Endless Island.” 

“I know.”


	2. Gwen Forever Part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gwen tells Reggie, Todd, and Esther about her history with Endless.

The air went deathly still as the mood came crashing down. They all just stood there for a moment before Todd broke the fragile silence.

“W-what do you mean you know?” Todd’s brow was furled sharply.

“Yeah, Gwen, have you been here before?” Esther’s eyes darted from side to side as she was taken aback by Gwen’s statement.

Gwen tightened one of her fists, still staring out ahead of her. Her voice was flat. “I have. I never thought I’d see it again..”

The trio behind her all inhaled a gasped “what” simultaneously. Todd took a few steps towards Gwen. “How though? When were you here before?”

She turned to face them, her expression softened, eyes glancing up for only a brief moment before casting them back down to the ground. She grabbed her arm and spoke meekly. “It’s a long story...”

“It’s not like we don’t have time. We did plan to be here all day.” Reggie was blunt and a bit too excited at the prospect of a good story.

Esther nudged her hard with an elbow “Reggie!”

“Ow! I’m just saying we have time..” Reggie rubbed her arm where Esther had made contact.

Todd approached Gwen fully and placed both hands gently on her shoulders. “Hey, you know we’re here for you. We care about you. I care about you.” His kind eyes peered into hers and she smiled back.

Gwen let out a long sigh. “It was a few years ago, in fifth grade. Everything was pretty normal up until that spring. I listened to music, played with my friends.. the usual stuff. And I spent a lot of time with my grandpa.” 

Esther clasped her hands together with a smile. “Awww! Grandparents are the best.” 

“He really was. I could sit for hours just listening to his stories. When it was nice out we’d go to the park and he’d chase me around and climb all over the jungle gym with me. And he had like a million puzzles. We’d do one every time it rained.”

“Sounds like you guys had a lot of fun times.” Todd had stepped back towards the others at this point to give her some space.

“We did. Until one day when I noticed he wasn’t really keeping up with me anymore. That was the year we had the really rough winter. And after that, he was always stopping to catch his breath or coughing a lot, even just going up the stairs. I was supposed to go to his house one Friday after school, but when I got home my mom sat me down and told me he was in the hospital and that he was really sick.” Gwen walked over to the landing pad and sat on its edge. Todd, Esther, and Reggie followed and sat on either side of her. 

“Did they say what was wrong with him?” Esther was quick to apologize “Sorry, if you don’t mind me asking that is..”

“It’s alright. I don’t really remember what it was. It was one of those diseases that’s just a bunch of letters and the doctors never really explained what they meant. At least, not to a kid like me.”

Todd lowered his head slightly. “That’s a real bummer. Was it really bad?” 

Gwen looked up to the sky. “Not at first. When we went to visit him, he didn’t seem all that sick actually. Maybe just a bit in the way his voice sounded. And he’d have a coughing fit every now and then. Over all though, it wasn’t that different of a day. We did a puzzle, he told me stories, it was nice. He actually got out after a week.”

“Hey, that’s awesome!” Todd’s eyes beamed with cheer.

Gwen spoke almost instantly after he did. “And then he went back in..”

“Oh..” Todd’s smile collapsed.

Gwen swayed her hands back and forth. “In for a while, out for a while. In and out and in and out. Each time it seemed like he got better, and then he got a little worse instead. We still had fun most of the time though. We just didn’t run around as much.”

Reggie scrunched her face in a scowl. “That really stinks. I was in the hospital for five days when my appendix exploded and that felt like the worst week of my life. I can’t imagine having to go back over and over..”

“That’s why after about a month or so I started ignoring the problem..”

Todd’s brow lowered. “What do you mean ignoring it?”

Gwen looked down, searching for the right words. “It was like I’d retreat into myself whenever people talked about how sick he was. If my parents brought it up I’d find an excuse to go to my room. Or when my friends would ask about him I would just ignore them or try to change the subject. I just didn’t want to admit it to myself. I wouldn’t even talk about it with my grandpa when I’d visit him.”

“You really shouldn’t bottle things up though Gwen. I know it’s hard but talking about these kinds of things can really help unload some of the burden from yourself.” Esther’s voice was soft and caring.

“Yeah that’s one of the reasons why I love coming here, to blow off steam and just let it all out.” Reggie spread her arms out wide with a smile.

“Well I know that now of course. But back then I just couldn’t deal with it.. I’d rather hide from my problems than face them. It took coming to Endless too much to finally realize where I was going wrong.” Gwen looked over her shoulder with a frown, towards the rest of the island.

Reggie perked up a bit. “Ooh yeah! Tell us about your first trip to Endless! Was it super awesome or what?”

“It was horrible actually..” Gwen cast her eyes back to the sand.

“What happened?” Esther frowned with concern.

Reggie was almost insulted by Gwen’s remark. “Yeah, I mean Endless can be a bit much at first, but I wouldn’t call it horrible.” 

“It all started with another visit with my grandpa in the hospital. Everything went mostly as usual. He was a bit sicker that time so he didn’t talk much or tell any long stories. It was still nice to just spend time with him though. Even when we just sat quietly and watched TV. But then before we left he said he wanted to give me something. He said it was a special present so that I could see him whenever I wanted to. He gave me this little silver locket. It was square, and inside were our pictures. He said that if I kept it close to my heart, he’d always be with me.”

Esther touched a hand to her heart. “That sounds like a such a beautiful present Gwen.”

“I thought it was really cool at first too. But later, when I got home I overheard my parents talking about him. They were talking about how he might not be around much longer.. I got really scared. I thought he was gonna die that night, that the locket was his way of saying goodbye to me forever. My mom said we might go back to see him later than evening, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t want to see him dead. So I locked myself up in my room and curled up with the locket, just wishing he’d be ok. Wishing that I could just be far away where everything was alright. And before I knew it, the locket started to glow and I got zapped off to here.” She motioned her arm towards the landing pad behind them.

“Yeah that’s kinda what happened to me the first time. I wanted to just escape and go somewhere where I could do whatever I wanted. And before I knew it, here I was!” Reggie threw her arms out wide with a smile.

“Were you as terrified as I was the first time?”

“Oh I was definitely a little freaked out at first. But I like to think I warmed up to everyone pretty quickly.” Reggie smiled with pride.

Gwen scoffed at Reggie, her hand on her chest. “I certainly didn’t! I panicked when all these weird creatures and monsters came at me from out of nowhere. I took off running into the woods looking for a place to hide. Luckily I found a little cave to squeeze into. But then after a few seconds I heard a little voice behind me.” She mimicked the voice poorly. “‘Oh your hair is lovely.’ So I whip around and there’s Borbo!”

Reggie laughed loudly as she doubled over with her arms over her stomach. “Oh man that is classic Borbo!”

“Yeah well I didn’t know how sweet he was back then. I screamed right in his face and stormed out of there and right into a tree. After that I think I passed out.”

Reggie pulled a face of disgust. “I’m sorry, did you just say Borbo is sweet?”

“Reggie hush!” Esther was curt and far too engrossed in Gwen’s story to care much for manners.

Todd got them back on track. “So what happened next?” 

“I wasn’t out long. I woke up and headed deeper into the jungle, just looking for anything familiar. Something to tell me where I was exactly. But I could hear the islanders looking for me, so I just kept running until I found this big clearing high up on a ridge. I had nowhere else to go at that point. I fell to my knees just wanting someplace to get away from everything. A place to hide, a place to think in peace, anything! And then as soon as my hands touched the ground all these big crystals started growing around me, walling me off from everything.”

“Woah! So is that your power?? You can make crystals and stuff?” R.

“Yeah. It took me a little while to get the hang of it, but now it’s easy.”

“Show us! Show us!” Reggie was jumping up and down in her seat.

Gwen laughed for the first time since she’d been back on Endless.“Easy there Reggie. Here, look.” She placed her hand to the ground and soon several person sized crystal structures grew from beneath the sand just a few feet away. They sparkled in hues of deep greens, azure blues, and vibrant reds. Todd, Esther, and Reggie stared on in amazement.

Reggie grabbed at Todd, starry eyed. “Oh my gosh, Todd we’re rich! Look at the size of those things!!”

Todd pushed himself free from her zealous grip. “You know we can’t take them home, right?”

Reggie slumped over with a grumble, her dreams crushed. “Oh yeah, right.”

“Wait, so did you make all those crystals up there?” Esther pointed to a high ridge forested with the glimmering pillars.

Gwen smiled solemnly and sighed. “Yeah. That’s where I’d usually go to be alone. Locked away high in my crystal fortress. No one could bother me there. I was alone to do whatever I wanted. Singing, or dancing, or talking to myself, or just feeling miserable. I was safe there.”

“So did you just never interact with the islanders?” Esther’s face was scrunched with confusion.

“I did eventually. It took me a while, but I did warm up to a few of them. Darla is alright. And that girl with the TV for a head. Tasty Troy is pretty cool too, even if he is just a bit creepy.” 

“What about Doctor Champion?” Reggie offered.

“He’s the green guy that yells a lot, right?”

“Yeah! Isn’t he the best??” Reggie’s smile was stretched to its limit.

“I never really got to know him. He was just too high energy for me so I tended to avoid him. Same for a lot of the people living here really..”

Esther did her best to defend him. “Did you even try to get to know him? I mean, yeah he can be a bit.. eccentric at times but he means well.”

“To be honest, not really. I didn’t come here to make friends. I just came here to hide and decompress. So I never really met a lot of the islanders. I’ve definitely never seen those guys before.” Gwen was glancing in the direction of Mack and Beefhouse, strolling leisurely down the beach hand in hand. They waived to the children as they passed.

“Oh, that’s Mack and that’s Beefhouse” Reggie pointed to each in turn. “They’re super nice and sometimes make really good casserole.”

“And they give the best hugs.” Todd added with a smile.

“We made them by accident when me and Todd buried some of my old toys here a while back. Pretty cool right?”

“Yeah, I remember the first time I brought something to life here..” Gwen looked off to the side as her lip quivered ever so slightly.

“No way! You made someone on the island? Who is it?” Reggie perked up at the very thought of it.

Gwen took in a long slow breath. “One day I went to visit my grandpa with my mom. He had been in the hospital for a couple of weeks at that point. Just before we got to his room my mom stopped me and took me aside. She told me that he was having trouble breathing, so they put him on a ventilator. I wasn’t sure what that meant though. If it was helping him, then I was happy with it. But she warned me that it might be difficult to see him, that I didn’t have to go in if I didn’t want to. I didn’t believe her. I loved my grandpa, there’s no way I was gonna miss a day getting to see him. I ran into the room before she could stop me.. and I just froze.” Gwen’s voice broke with a sob. “Seeing that mask on him, those tubes coming out of him, the hum of the machines, it was like a big plastic spider was sitting on his face. He was so pale, he looked so much sicker than the last time..” 

Gwen’s eyes were watering now. Todd placed an arm around her shoulder and took hold of her hand. He fumbled for some comforting words. “Uhh.. it’s ok. We’re here for you.”

Her voice was stinging. “It wasn’t ok! I freaked out and just ran! I ran from the room, past my mother, all the way out the front door of the hospital. I didn’t stop until I got home and had locked myself in my room. And even then I went further. I pulled out my locket and flew off here, to Endless. I locked myself away for hours just crying and screaming. I felt so terrible for running from him.. but I just couldn’t go back.”

Esther came closer and sat next to Gwen. “I’m so sorry Gwen. I’m sure he understood why you did though.”

“That’s what my mom said when she found me in my room after I got back. I’m sure she was telling the truth but I could tell she was still disappointed in me. She told me I should try to visit him again tomorrow. But I told her I wasn’t sure. I just didn’t wanna think about him like that, you know? I didn’t want to admit to myself how serious it all was. I just wanted to remember him how he was before he got sick. That’s when I came up with my plan..”

“What plan?” Todd asked.

“It seems really dumb now.. but I basically tried to recreate my grandpa’s house here on Endless. 

Reggie squinted slightly in confusion. “Why would you wanna do that?”

“I don’t know.. I just wanted something cozier than my cold, plain crystal fortress. I wanted to have someplace that was more like home, but without all the bad stuff in it. But even after I finished building it, it was still missing something. My grandpa”

Todd’s eyes widened with nervousness. “You didn’t try to bring your grandpa here, did you?”

“No, no, of course not. But I wanted to be able to see him here too. So I thought of a way to make that happen. He used to wear this old corduroy jacket and big green hat whenever we’d go out. That was the grandpa I wanted to see all the time. So I brought the jacket and hat here and propped them up on some sticks so it’d be like he was with me when I was here.”

Esther shrugged her shoulders a bit. “I guess that’s kinda sweet in a way.” 

Gwen kicked her foot through the sand heavily. “Looking back it just seems sad and lame, spending my time hidden away, talking to a bunch of sticks in a jacket. That all changed the next time I came to Endless.”

Esther sat up a little straighter. “What happened?”

“There must have been a landslide or something while I was gone. Or maybe the crystals I used for support weren’t as strong as I thought. When I came back the little house I built was buried under all these rocks and sand. I totally freaked. It was like seeing my grandpa’s actual house get destroyed. Worst of all his jacket was in there. so I started to dig it all out. That’s when I noticed the footprints.” Gwen brandished her finger to punctuate her discovery.

Todd offered up an explanation. “Was it Borbo again? He is always sneaking around..”

“I had no idea. I wasn’t even sure they were footprints at first. They were just big circles in the dirt going down the path.” 

“That had to be Colin!” Reggie shouted her guess with confidence.

“I figured if they did belong to someone, maybe they would know what happened. Maybe they even took my grandpa’s stuff before the landslide. So I followed them. And eventually I met up with this weird guy I’d never seen before. He was like an old cactus man, only made out of my grandpa’s jacket and wearing his big green hat.”

Esther gasped “Señor Corduroy!”

Gwen perked up a bit in surprise. “You guys know him?”

“Well not all of us, Esther’s the only one who’s actually met him.” Reggie corrected.

“I deliver meals to him sometimes.” Esther smiled at her own charitable nature.

“Yeah, we just spied on him through a vent one time.” Reggie quickly added the fact as if it weren’t creepy.

“Don’t you just love all his little fruit puppies?? AH so cute!” Esther hugged herself imagining them all.

“Fruit puppies?” Gwen raised an eyebrow at her.

“Yeah! Did he not have them when you were coming here?”

“I definitely don’t remember any fruit puppies. He must have got them later on.”

“Do you wanna go visit him? His place is just right down that way.” Esther pointed down the beach with a smile. “You can meet them all right now.”

Gwen thought for a moment. “I’m pretty sure he’ll be settling down for his morning nap right about now.”

“Right, right. It’s probably best not to disturb him.” Esther quickly agreed with just a tint of disappointment in her voice.

“We’ll definitely have to go see him another time though. I loved spending time with him here. A little too much actually..” Gwen looked down with a slight mist in one eye.

“What do you mean?”

“He’s just so much like my grandpa. The way he talks and acts, even the stories he tells are so much fun to listen to. After I met him, I started spending as much time here as I could. I barely talked to my friends at that point. And my parents just figured I was sulking in my room. I even skipped school a few times to come here and spend the day with him.

“What about your actual grandpa? Didn’t you still visit him a bunch too?” Todd’s eyes showed his concern.

Gwen pulled her knees into her chest, her face flush with guilt. “Not really.. I’d just come here to spend time with Señor Corduroy instead. Meanwhile my actual grandpa just kept getting sicker and sicker until...”

Todd placed his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in. “Oh Gwen, I-I’m so sorry.”

“I was here when it happened..” Gwen was openly sobbing now. The others just looked on speechless as she continued. “I came here that evening and spent a few hours with Señor Corduroy. When I got back it was pretty late and my mom was totally freaking out. She thought I ran away or something. I told her it was fine, not to worry, that I was nearby. That’s when she told me that grandpa had died a few hours ago. Th-they said that he was asking to see me. But no one could find me anywhere..”

Todd said nothing, he only held her tighter.

“I missed him! He wanted to see me, wanted to say good bye and I missed it. I was too busy hiding here in a world of make believe and lies. I was afraid to face the truth and now I’ll never get another chance. I’ll never get to see him, to apologize or tell him I loved him. All because of this. Stupid. Place!”

Todd leaned away from her a bit, sincere concern in his eyes. “Gwen, how come you never told me any of this before?”

Gwen was getting more worked up, tears staining her cheeks. “Geez, I don’t know Todd! Maybe because it sounds absolutely crazy!? What was I gonna tell you? ‘Hi I’m Gwen. I wanna go out with you. Oh, and also I used to go to a magic island in another dimension to run from my problems!’”

“I would have been understanding though. Even if I didn’t know about Endless too.” Todd was on the defensive a bit.

“How was I supposed to know that though!? Not to mention that I wanted to just forget all about this horrible place.”

Reggie was quick to defend the island. “Hey, Endless is not horrible! It’s the most amazing, wonderful place there is!”

“Maybe for you. Maybe just for now. Someday you might come to see this place like I do and never want to come back.. like I did.” She was on the verge of tears.

“That’s never gonna happen. I love Endless and I always will!”

Esther put a hand on her shoulder as if to hold her back. “Reggie calm down.” 

Reggie lowered her voice a few notches. “Well she started it.”

“It’s alright. I get it Reggie. I really loved this place too when I first started coming. But after everything that happened, I knew I couldn’t come here again. I didn’t want to risk missing anything else important in my life just because I was stuck in my own little world, literally. So I made sure that I couldn’t.” Gwen’s face scrunched with remembered anger.

“What do you mean? What did you do?” Reggie’s shrunken pupils betrayed the worry she tried to hide.

Gwen placed her hand just below her throat, grabbing at what was now only a memory. “The locket was my ticket in. I knew I had to get rid of it somehow, to hide it somewhere so that I’d be less tempted to come here. I tried a bunch of places. I kept it in a box in the attic for a while. But it was like it was calling to me from up there. So then I tried burying it in the backyard. But after a week I felt bad and dug it back up again.” 

“Why didn’t you just throw it out?” Todd offered the obvious solution matter-of-factly.

“I didn’t want to totally get rid of it. It was the last thing I had of the grandpa. The only connection to him that I had. But I tried that too eventually. But my mom found it just before the garbage truck came and gave it back to me. It was like it didn’t want to leave, like it wanted to stay with me. And have me stay with it.” Gwen looked off into the heart of the island once more, this time with hatred and hurt clouding her eyes.

Esther shuddered. “It’s kinda creepy when you put it that way..”

Gwen continued. “I knew what I had to do. I didn’t want to, but I knew it was the only way. I snuck out that night and went to the woods. I wanted to get far enough away that I would never find the spot again. I sat there for a long time just staring at that locket. I missed my grandpa so much, and it was like trying to say goodbye all over again. I was upset and hurt. But I was also angry. Angry at Endless for luring me away when he needed me the most. But most of all I was angry at myself. All of it was my fault in the end. I chose to come here. I chose to stay instead of facing my problems.. So I smashed it! I grabbed the nearest rock and just kept hitting that stupid locket it over and over and over until all that was left were little pieces.”

Gwen was crying in earnest now as Todd, Esther, and Reggie looked on in shock. Todd pulled her in close again. “Oh man, Gwen..”

Reggie spoke as if she had been personally insulted, with a slight tinge of malice. “How could you smash your key to Endless?! I got locked out once for a few days and I felt like I had lost everything. I can’t imagine just giving it up on purpose.” 

Gwen unburied her tear stained face from Todd’s chest. “I had to! It was the only way to make sure I’d never make that mistake again!” 

Reggie cringed back a bit with a remorseful frown as Todd shot her an angry look. “Sorry Gwen. I guess I’d feel the same way if I went through what you did.”

Gwen used the back of her hand to dry her eyes as she composed herself again. “Todd, I wanna go back home now. If that’s ok with all of you..”

“Yeah, yeah of course. We’ll take you back.” He pulled Gwen in close with one arm and pulled out his key with the other hand. The green and lavender swirl enveloped the two of them and carried them off towards the sky. Esther watched them go before making her own exit. Reggie lingered for just a moment, staring off into the island with unsure eyes, before she too made the trip home.

Back in Todd’s living room, Gwen picked up her backpack and made her move for the door with Todd in tow. “I’ll walk you home.”

Esther followed their lead. “Yeah we all will, right Reggie?”

“Yeah totally!” 

Gwen stopped them all with an outstretched hand. “No, guys it’s fine. I wanna go alone. I’ve got a lot to think about after today..”

“Are you sure? I feel really bad making you remember all that stuff. Endless is just so special to us and I thought it could be for you too..”

“Endless is special Todd. It helped me become a stronger person. And remembering all of that is part of how I stay strong. Look, I don’t know if I’m ever gonna want to go back there again. Maybe I will.. someday. But whether or not I do, I don’t want it to stop you from having fun with your friends. Just promise me you’ll be careful in there, all of you.” 

“Of course Gwen.” Todd held her hands as he leaned in to kiss her.

“I’ll call you when I get home Ok?”

“I’ll be here. We all will.” Todd opened the door to let her out, smiling as she went.


End file.
